PORTSMOUTH — A plastic beer keg was involved in the tragic accident that killed a worker at the Red Hook Brewery earlier this week.

Ben Harris died of injuries sustained when a pressurized beer keg he was cleaning exploded on Tuesday morning. Harris, who lived in Newington and grew up in Pennsylvania, was newly married and expecting a child.

According to a statement released Thursday morning by Red Hook Vice President of Commercial Operations Andy Thomas, the accident was caused by an exploding plastic keg. The keg was not owned or used by Redhook Brewery or any other Craft Brew Alliance brewery.Thomas said it is normal protocol for the brewery to receive kegs that aren't theirs from time to time. Thomas also confirmed that Harris was handling the keg at the time it exploded.

"It is extremely important to us that we understand exactly what happened before we share additional information about this tragedy. There is an evaluation in progress and we can assure you that we will issue further information when the report is complete," Thomas said, noting an assessment process in under way to "reveal exactly what happened Tuesday morning."

"In the meantime, we ask for continued thoughts and prayers for Ben's family, friends, and everyone touched by this accident," Thomas added.

A fund has been set up to benefit the unborn child of the man tragically killed in an accident at the Red Hook Brewery earlier this week.

Visiting hours for Harris will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. tonight at the J. Verne Wood Funeral Home in Portsmouth. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Friday at the Redhook Ale Brewery with a reception immediately following. Friends are invited.

In the statement, Thomas also expressed gratitude to the community. "We are grateful for the outpouring of support that we've received from the community after Tuesday's tragic accident in Portsmouth.Ben Harris had been a member of the Redhook family for more than seven years, first working at the Cataqua Pub and most recently as part of our brewing operations team.His wife, Alysha Miller, is expecting his child and is also part of the Redhook family as a server in our pub. Ben was a wonderful man, a dedicated member of our team and a friend to all who knew him. We are heartbroken by this tragedy and are grieving with the family. We would like to thank the community and the media for respecting the family's privacy as well as that of our employees as we mourn together. We would also like to thank our family of employees for their support in this process, as this is an extremely difficult time for all of us and our top priority is taking care of Ben's family and our team."